Homunculus (manga): Difference between revisions

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Not to be confused with [[Mobile Suit Human|the little people who live in your brain]], or with [[Our Homunculi Are Different|other uses of the word]].

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=== This manga provides examples of: ===

* [[Accent Adaptation]]: The scanlators translated Nakoshi's backwater [[Tohoku Regional Accent|Tohoku accent]] as something akin to [[The Simpsons|Cletus the Slack-Jawed Yokel's]] bumpkin accent, and it actually works.

* [[A Date With Rosie Palms]]: Nakoshi.

* [[All Psychology Is Freudian]]: Although there is not as much sexual imagery (ignoring all the outright sex) as usually is associated with Freud, all the focus on repression and subconsciousness and the unconscious is enough to make any psychology student cry.

* [[Anti Hero]]: Nakoshi can be seen as a deconstruction of the [[Samaritan Syndrome]]-inflicted hero - he goes around helping various people with their issues {{spoiler|so he can better understand himself and face his own.}} Not to mention that his method of "helping" is not always well thought-out or clear. When you try to save a girl {{spoiler|by raping her}}, you know you're not quiiiite balanced in the head.

* [[Anti-Hero]]: Nakoshi can be seen as a deconstruction of the [[Samaritan Syndrome]]-inflicted hero - he goes around helping various people with their issues {{spoiler|so he can better understand himself and face his own.}} Not to mention that his method of "helping" is not always well thought-out or clear. When you try to save a girl {{spoiler|by raping her}}, you know you're not quiiiite balanced in the head.

* [[Attractive Bent Gender]]: {{spoiler|Itoh}} is constantly called "pretty" when he's dressed as a woman.

* [[Casanova]]: Nakoshi, before he decided to throw it all away because none of the women could make him feel anything.

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* [[Easy Sex Change]]: Averted by {{spoiler|Itoh, who takes a year to fully}} transition.

* [[Fan Disservice]]: There's like two volumes straight of various characters masturbating and having sex. It's ''not'' played up to be hot.

* [[For Science]]: Itoh's justification for doing the experiments.

* [[For Science!]]: Itoh's justification for doing the experiments.

* [[Gainax Ending]]: That's to be expected in such a [[Mind Screw]] series. But this is made even more unsettling by the fact that for a moment it ''seems'' like we're heading towards a [[Happy Ending]] with Nakoshi freeing himself from the Homunculi… {{spoiler|the exact opposite happens: he throws Nanako aside (after ''trepanating her''), stays prisoner of this world and totally loses it, [[Gone Horribly Wrong|even digging two additional holes in his skull.]]}} [[My God What Have I Done|Itoh himself is utterly horrified by how his experience turned]].

* [[Gainax Ending]]: That's to be expected in such a [[Mind Screw]] series. But this is made even more unsettling by the fact that for a moment it ''seems'' like we're heading towards a [[Happy Ending]] with Nakoshi freeing himself from the Homunculi… {{spoiler|the exact opposite happens: he throws Nanako aside (after ''trepanating her''), stays prisoner of this world and totally loses it, [[Gone Horribly Wrong|even digging two additional holes in his skull.]]}} [[My God, What Have I Done?|Itoh himself is utterly horrified by how his experience turned]].

* [[Gonk]]: {{spoiler|Nakoshi and Nanako in their youth.}} And that's pretty much the cause of everything happening in the series if you think about it.

* [[Have I Mentioned I Am Heterosexual Today]]: Nakoshi and Itoh.

* [[Have I Mentioned I Am Heterosexual Today?]]: Nakoshi and Itoh.

* [[In Series Nickname]]: "Car guy" for Nakoshi.

* [[In-Series Nickname]]: "Car guy" for Nakoshi.

* [[~~Its~~ Not Rape If You Enjoyed It]]: An extremely weird example. The sex scene in the car between Nakoshi and the schoolgirl Yukari goes from semi-rape to consensual to violent rape and back to consensual again. It's intended to be unsettling.

* [[It's Not Rape If You Enjoyed It]]: An extremely weird example. The sex scene in the car between Nakoshi and the schoolgirl Yukari goes from semi-rape to consensual to violent rape and back to consensual again. It's intended to be unsettling.

** Also subverted in the semi-rape in so far as that Yukari says she felt nothing.

* [[Loves Me Not]]: A variant - Itoh plucks petals off a flower, with the options {{spoiler|"man"}} and {{spoiler|"woman"}}.

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* [[Mind Screw]]: For both the reader and Nakoshi.

* [[Mirror Monologue]]: Nakoshi looks in the water and says that isn't his face - apt enough, considering {{spoiler|he had plastic surgery.}}

* [[Morally Ambiguous Doctorate]]: Itoh again.

* [[Morally-Ambiguous Doctorate]]: Itoh again.

* [[Of Course I'm Not a Virgin]]: Itoh.

* [[Our Homunculi Are Different]]: Averted, they really ''are'' different.

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* [[Tomato in The Mirror]]: When Nakoshi realizes that the homunculi he sees are {{spoiler|manifestations of his own inner distortions, which he projects on other people around him.}}

* [[Transsexual]]: {{spoiler|Eventually, Itoh}}.

* [[Well Done Son Guy]]: {{spoiler|Itoh's entire motivation stems from a need to be acknowledged}} by his father.

* [["Well Done, Son" Guy]]: {{spoiler|Itoh's entire motivation stems from a need to be acknowledged}} by his father.

* [[What Happened to The Mouse]]: Nakoshi writes a kind word in the hotel room for Nanako saying he will be right back. He won't. In the epilogue he just says that Nanako was useless to him in the end and we never know what she became. And considering what he did to her, [[You Do NOT Want to Know|maybe it's better we don't…]]

* [[What Happened to The Mouse?]]: Nakoshi writes a kind word in the hotel room for Nanako saying he will be right back. He won't. In the epilogue he just says that Nanako was useless to him in the end and we never know what she became. And considering what he did to her, [[You Do NOT Want to Know|maybe it's better we don't…]]

** Given that the last panels of Nanako showed blood seeping through her bandages, it's possible that {{spoiler|she died or suffered brain trauma as a result of the trepanation}}, which would explain the series' abrupt dive into a {{spoiler|[[Downer Ending]]}}.

* [[Which Restroom Dilemma]]: Itoh is shown deliberating over this when he excuses himself while crossdressing.